The Art of War
by Juzko Disco
Summary: Navyclaw, a well-respected warrior, has been killed brutally. Recently, Cherryfall of ThunderClan has been having cryptic dreams that seem to hint about his cruel demise. She hopes it is a sign from StarClan, but as her nightmares grow clearer and clearer, the murderer might be closer than she originally thought. AU/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N. My first fan-fic. Right now, it's the "introduction" of the characters. Sorry if the clans are a bit small, and the number of warriors are uneven, but the important clan here is Thunderclan, which is why I provided some of the cats' appearances descriptions.)**

**Cats in the Clans**

_THUNDERCLAN:_

**Leader**: Wolfstar – Deep brown pelt with bright amber eyes.

**Deputy**: Cherryfall – Honey colored pelt with white flecks and green eyes.

**Medicine Cat**: Snowfeather – Pure white and blue eyes.

**Medicine Cat Apprentice**: Goldenpaw – Bright golden color with matching eyes.

**Warriors: **

Hawkflight; apprentice: Blackpaw

Flamestorm apprentice: Rainpaw

Ivoryleaf

Forestpelt apprentice: Swallowpaw

Reedwhisker apprentice: Hazelpaw

Emberheart

**Queens:**

Violetpetal (Forestpelt) Iriskit, Morningkit.

Frostcloud (Emberheart) Mistkit, Graykit, Smokekit.

Icesong (Rouge; Soleil; Sunclaw) Nightkit, Blackpaw, Swallowpaw.

CrimsonEcho (deceased; Navyclaw) Hazelpaw, Rainpaw, Goldenpaw.

_RIVERCLAN:_

**Leader: **Silverstar

**Deputy:** Lavenderpelt

**Medicine Cat**: Mintleaf (apprentice Nightpaw)

**Warriors: **

Brownpelt

Crossfeather

Smalltail

Rosecloud

Scarletstorm

Blackheart

Thornpelt

_WINDCLAN:_

**Leader: **Dawnstar

**Deputy: **Ashtail

**Medcine Cat: **Stonewhisker

**Warriors:**

Mistysong

Lightningclaw

Snakefoot

Redstripe

Snowpool

_SHADOWCLAN:_

**Leader: ** Jaggedstar

**Deputy: **Olivefur

**Medicine Cat: **Basilwing (apprentice Fluffypaw)

**Warriors:**

Mousetail

Bluecloud

MoonEcho

Graystreak

Blackwing

(**A/N. PROLOUGE WILL BE UPDATED SOON. I JUST NEEDED THIS OUT OF MY WAY.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N. Pretty long prologue, . But, I guess it's interesting in a way… Please read on! Oh, and the reason why I wasn't updating for the couple of days is because that I had to wait till Thursday until my internet came back, so here I am, just typing the chapters beforehand. My dang computer modem is being a *censor* and it doesn't have any signal at all, which kills my internet. ANYWAY, sorry for the long author's note, but just the things I need to clarify. Now, on with the chapter! *Floats away.*)**

Prologue:

The sun was setting as grudgingly as a child being scolded into bed. Its last few rays of light disappeared behind the tall, lush trees of ThunderClan territory. This marked the end of the day and the beginning of nocturnal rule.

"Please! Stop! I didn't mean to – I won't tell anyone! I swear by StarClan I'll never -"

Claws raked over thick fur and through cat-flesh, cutting off the poor cat's last words to his assailant.

"Hmph. Did you really think I'd keep you alive after all… that?" a mocking voice smirked. "You know too much for your own good. No hard feelings, alright? You just were a poor, unlucky cat in the wrong place, at the wrong time. I'll send you to StarClan now."

Before the injured cat could reply, well trained fangs sank into tender flesh, where an inordinate amount of blood flowed out in red, red rivers.

"Hey! Wolfstar!"

Wolfstar turned to face the cat calling his name – his deputy and best friend, Cherryfall. He dipped his head in a friendly greeting to the she-cat, who was now happily sniffing the air.

"That hunting patrol got a whole group of rabbits this morning, right?" Cherryfall meowed happily, after dropping a small vole to the ground to talk.

"Hunting's been pretty bad over these last few moons – rabbits as plump as theirs really are a blessing to the clan, you know." Wolfstar replied, ruffling his musky chocolate colored pelt. "I would have thought you'd be the first to grab one."

Cherryfall huffed, her fur rising up in slight anger. "How rude! You talk as if I'm some fat she-cat!"

"Don't get me started, Cherryfall." was the tart reply.

Cherryfall's fur fluffed a bit more, and she turned her nose upwards.

"Well, you've been getting rather squishy near the belly there, Mr. Meanie." She purred, jabbing his belly with her paw.

In response, Wolfstar purred back. He really enjoyed the sandy she-cat's company, even if their conversations usually consisted of insults and comebacks.

"Pfft. Well, it's better to stock up now, since leaf-fall is ending soon." Wolfstar said thoughtfully as he peered up at the trees shielding his beloved territory.

"That's right…" Cherryfall wrinkled her nose. "Thinking of all those cold nights and frosts makes me cough furballs of disgust…"

"Too much information, Cherryfall, too much information…" Wolfstar padded towards the freshkill pile to fetch a rabbit for the elders, who were recovering from a bout of whitecough.

As the two cats approached the elder's den, a scent of lingering illness washed over their noses, but they ignored it.

"Stormpelt! Daisystem!" Cherryfall called. "We've brought you a present!"

Two haggard but rather cheeky elders edged out slowly from their nests, sniffing the air cautiously. The two had been mates and had many kits and finally retired to the elder's den together. It was the dream of all the young she-cats in the clan to find their own mate and share the same destiny as those two elders.

Apparently, so did Cherryfall.

"Is that a rabbit? Oh my… We haven't tasted one in moons!" Daisystem seemed rather energetic, despite her appearance.

"Pshaw. In our day, we fed plump rabbits to the elders every day!" Stormpelt was grouchy, as usual.

"And what day was that, may I ask? These young cats are trying to keep us from dying! They're not doing well themselves! Look at those skin and bones –" Daisystem shot back.

They launched themselves into another argument about how well fed cats should be until Cherryfall let out a badly suppressed giggle.

"And what are you purrin' about, little kit?" Stormpelt snapped.

"Either you eat the darn rabbit, or we shove it down your throat, Stormpelt!" Cherryfall told her ex-mentor good naturedly.

Stormpelt, who'd always has a soft spot for Cherryfall, immediately shut up and since he knew how serious his former apprentice could be, he took the rabbit from Wolfstar's jaws.

"Okay. Enjoy your rabbit, then." Wolfstar handed over the freshkill, relieved to be able to speak again.

As soon as Thunderclan's leader and his deputy were out of earshot, Daisystem prodded her mate.

"Ohh! They're just like us when we were young! I can't wait to see their kits!"

Stormpelt scoffed. "They're not even together! Someone like Cherryfall has always been attracting all those no-good toms… Wolfstar hasn't got a chance!"

Daisystem was NOT happy. "I think Wolfstar is very handsome! A she-cat would be blind _not_ to see that! I can feel Starclan is leading them together!"

Before another argument could erupt, the two were silenced by the arrival of a patrol. But not wanting to contaminate the other cats of the Clan with whitecough, they didn't leave their den but strained to hear the welcome.

"Welcome back, Hawkflight, Flamestorm, Ivoryleaf! What'd you bring back?" Iriskit bounced around happily.

The patrol leader, Hawkflight, glanced grimly at the kit, which made the tiny kit stiffen.

"We need to see Wolfstar. Right now." was the abrupt order from Hawkflight.

Wolfstar's ears flickered as he bounded forward with Cherryfall at his flank.

"Yes?" Wolfstar questioned, his amber eyes glancing at the solemn looking group.

"… Navyclaw's dead." was the blunt response from Hawkflight. The she-cat was well known for getting straight to the point, no beating around the bush.

"What?" Cherryfall gasped. Several cats who were listening followed.

Wolfstar remained calm. Or, at least he appeared to be. Although he never really liked Navyclaw, they were kin and Navyclaw had mated with Wolfstar's littermate, CrimsonEcho. He felt that Navyclaw's absence would really affect the Clan in a very negative manner.

"How?" Wolfstar could only spare a single word as his emotions were rather mixed and confusing.

"Murder. He was killed on Thunderclan territory, close to the border with Windclan." It was Flamestorm's turn to report. His usual light hearted expression was replaced by a serious and heavy face. "We suspect the killer to be a cat… Fang marks and claw marks were found on Navyclaw's body."

Wolfstar was in shock even though he'd never say so. He was going to call a Clan meeting, but realized the whole Clan was listening intently.

"That means there's a murderer on the loose!" a voice cried from the crowd.

"My kits! What'll happen now? They might get hurt!" another yowled.

"Ohh! And we just had whitecough! Our warriors are weak!" yet another mewed.

Murmurs turned into frightened yowls.

"If everyone would please calm down –" Wolfstar started.

"Oh NOOO! Navyclaw was found on our territory! One of _US_ could have killed him!" a hysterical voice cried.

Suspicious glances and whispers were exchanged among the audience. Accusations were being fired at every cat, including Wolfstar and Cherryfall.

"Will everyone just SHUT UP, for STARCLAN'S SAKE?!" Cherryfall snapped.

Silence dawned upon the Clan. Cherryfall had managed to scare the Clan into submission with her unexpectedly loud hiss. Wolfstar noted to tease her about it later.

"Please calm down. Being in a panic won't help anyone!" Wolfstar declared. "The killer is obviously an enemy of our Clan; if we panic, our Clan will be more vulnerable than ever. Even if the murderer is inside our Clan, we must show that we can overcome this! All we can do is grieve for our fallen comrade and investigate what evidence we have here. Accusing all the cats we see won't help us. What we need now is to trust each other."

The cats in the clearing let out a breath, though they didn't know why they were holding it in. Relief had spread like ripples in a pond – soon everyone was calmer.

"We will hold a vigil for Navyclaw tonight. May any cat come to grieve for him, for he was a great warrior!" Wolfstar announced, his amber eyes tainted in solemnity.

Cherryfall nodded her head in agreement as she volunteered to help prepare Navyclaw's body for burial. He was one of her closest friends; she would miss him. She hoped that he would find peace on the hunting grounds of Starclan.

With a troubled mind, Wolfstar left his place in the crowd and went to look over his fallen kin. The dark, black fur that usually looked sleek and beautiful now looked matted and bloody. Navyclaw's shocked blue eyes stared blankly at the ceiling of the medicine cat's den.

Meanwhile, Snowfeather dutifully tended to a sick kit who seemed to have a very bad case of stomach ache.

"Here, eat this and don't you dare spit it out again, Smokekit." The white medicine cat dropped a few leaves at the kit's feet.

Before Smokekit could rebuke, Snowfeather noticed her best friend, Cherryfall padding towards her. Wolfstar was following close by.

"Cherryfall!" Snowfeather called. "Navyclaw's here."

The three cats spent a moment to study the dead cat. Snowfeather closed the warrior's eyes and began licking the fur of the cat. Cherryfall and Wolfstar copied these actions and soon, Navyclaw looked like he was only asleep and not brutally murdered.

Other cats began to flood around the warrior and Wolfstar had to back away to make room. One of these cats was CrimsonEcho, his littermate and also Navyclaw's mate.

"Why?" she murmured. "Why did you have to go before me?"

Snowfeather and Cherryfall tried to cheer the she-cat up, but it was to no avail. CrimsonEcho's brown but red tinted eyes were overwhelmed with emotion.

"Who would've done such a thing? He was kind to everyone! He did nothing to make himself deserve this!"

Wolfstar approached his sister and gently touched her with his long tail. This gesture of comfort seemed to calm CrimsonEcho. She sighed in anguish.

"How could anyone have such a grudge against him…?"

It was true, Wolfstar thought. Navyclaw always went out of his way to be kind and gentle to every cat he met. He was popular in both his own Clan and the others – it was hard to believe any cat disliked him. Wolfstar seemed to be an exception but Wolfstar was rather cold to most cats anyway.

"CrimsionEcho… Navyclaw must've just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can't imagine any cat to be capable of killing a cat like him." Wolfstar told his sister firmly. "I promise to find the murderer. We'll punish whoever did this, okay?"

CrimsonEcho hesitated and then nodded, her sleek black head faced her brother and leader.

"I believe in you, Wolfstar."

(**A/N. Long enough chapter, eh? Almost 2,000 words, but oh well. I need at least 5-15 more reviews before I put the next chapter up! So, just click that little button that says, "Review", you know you want to. Feel free to go ahead and discuss who the murderer is! :O)**

**P.S. I know I didn't make any "Elders" category for that character intro I made in the previous chapter, but the elders, Daisystem and Stormpelt, won't show up much in the story, because they aren't that important. Just those things I wanted to clarify for you.**

**See you guys next time! :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**[A.N] Hi. Long time no see. First update this year. XD As I said in the last chapter that I would update once I have gotten 5 reviews… Well, I never actually GOT 5 reviews. So, I think I'll just update today, and this chapter, I do at least need 5 reviews.**

**But, I'm really thankful for the people who followed, favorite, and reviewed the story. **

**Thanks to:**

**Miss Arty**

**HushPuppe**

**Thranduiling Romanizer **

**There was also supposed to be a line break on the last chapter before the "Hey Wolfstar!" But it never showed up. I'll fix it later, but for now, on with the chapter! **

"… Stop! I didn't mean to – I won't tell anyone! I swear by Starclan - - "

Hm? That's Navyclaw's voice, right? Snowfeather peered around for the owner of the voice.

"Hmph. Did you really think I'd keep you alive after all… that?"

Curious, yet terrified of the ominous sensation that washed over her, the white she-cat edged closer to the two voices.

"You know too much for your own good." The second voice continued nonchalantly, as if he wasn't about to take another's life. "No hard feelings, alright? You just were a poor, unlucky cat in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'll send you to Starclan now."

Snowfeather looked through the bushes and could smell the scent of Windclan wafting from the border. Two cats were in the opening – one she recognized, the other was masked in shadow. Navyclaw was underneath a powerful, muscular body, with claws extended towards Navyclaw's neck. Snowfeather wanted to gasp, but was petrified in shock.

One last yowl of pain was released into the air that was muffled by the thick bushes around the cats and a slight rustling of leaves as the killer slunk away.

_Line Break. Say hello. _

The full moon shone brightly in the night sky, and Snowfeather could hear the cry of a wolf from far away.

"Snowfeather? Snowfeather?" a worried voice shook the medicine cat awoke.

"Yes, Goldenpaw?" was the calm reply.

Goldenpaw stared deeply into Snowfeather's blue eyes.

"You cried out Navyclaw's name in your sleep." Explained Goldenpaw, his golden eyes worried. "Did… you see something?"

Snowfeather took a deep breath and licked her apprentice's face.

"It's nothing to worry about, don't worry. I'm fine."

Goldenpaw didn't seem satisfied with her vague attempt to avoid his question, but he dropped the subject.

"Smokekit is all better now, I sent him back to the nursery." Goldenpaw told his mentor. "I asked him to come back if his pains return."

Snowfeather nodded in approval. She really was amazed at Goldenpaw's progress as a medicine cat. It was only two moons since Goldenpaw was made an apprentice, but he already memorized most of the herbs in the den. Goldenpaw, despite his gluttonous habits and laid back behavior, was a prodigy.

"I'm gonna go eat something now. See ya." Goldenpaw dismissed himself.

Snowfeather chuckled, but her mind was still concentrating on her dream. Who was the mysterious cat in the dream? He was oddly familiar – the powerful muscles, his deep voice, the great confidence he carried. Who was he?

As she pondered over the vision, she also walked to the fresh kill pile to grab a mouse of two to revive her aching body.

"Hey Snowfeather! Wanna share this vole with me?"

Snowfeather turned to see her best friend with a vole in her mouth.

"Sure, why not."

The two she-cats jumped into a flat rock in the outskirts of the camp and Cherryfall pushed the vole to Snowfeather.

"You seem exhausted. Eat!" was her explanation.

Gratefully, Snowfeather bit into the vole and relished the flavor. Soon, however, she fell back into her thoughts.

"Um… Snowfeather?"

"Yes?"

"You seem… sort of out of it, I guess. Is something bothering you?" Cherryfall took a bite from the fresh kill. "If you do, do you want to talk about it?"

Snowfeather hesitated a bit. This dream was clearly a message from Starclan – did she have the right to tell other cats about it? She threw the thought from her mind. This was her beloved friend. How could she keep secrets from her?

"Well, you see, I had a dream about Navyclaw and.. his killer…"

Snowfeather recounted all the events she had witnessed. Cherryfall listened intently, but her green eyes did not seem surprised.

"Weird. I had a dream exactly like that today, too…" Cherryfall whispered.

Snowfeather was bewildered. A cat who wasn't a medicine cat had a dream sent by Starclan? This was strange.

"Do you think it means something?" Cherryfall asked.

Snowfeather shook her head. "I don't know. Let's wait and see if Starclan gives us anymore messages."

Cherryfall accepted the idea and the two friends finished off their vole. They began to share tongues, as usual.

"Cherryfall! Snowfeather!"

They turned their heads to see Wolfstar coming closer to them.

"Yes?" Snowfeather asked, noting Wolfstar's haggard appearance. His amber eyes were tired and dull, his fur was thinner, as if he didn't eat well.

"Is there anymore fresh kill left? I just got back from investigating the area where we found Navyclaw's body… and I didn't have a chance to hunt."

The brown tom sat down next to Cherryfall who looked at him concernedly.

"Yes, theres plently… but why do you look so tired?" Snowfeather looked at his paws; his pads were torn and bleeding. "I'll have to look at those later, you know."

Wolfstar looked down to see the bloody paws and bent to lick them. "I found a lead – a small clue to the murderer, but I lost it…"

Cherryfall sighed in sympathy. "It's okay, we'll find that darned cat – killer some day soon. Don't worry. But I want you to go rest after you eat something."

"But –" Wolfstar tried to interrupt.

"No. As your medicine cat, I advise you to follow those instructions, Wolfstar." Snowfeather instructed. "Your mother wouldn't have wanted her kit to die of exhaustion!"

Wolfstar's mother was the former Thunderclan leader. She was Twilightblaze until she became leader. Known for her icy disposition and devotion to the clan, Twilightstar had become leader at a very early age. She had lost her last life a few moons ago, leaving her son and deputy to take care of her beloved clan.

"Ugh. Fine." He sulked.

"And don't sulk!" Cherryfall teased him.

"… I'm not!"

"You are!"

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm NOT!"

"Yes, YOU ARE, FURBALL!"

"NO, I'M NOT! MOUSE BRAIN!"

Snowfeather watched the two amusedly. It was like watching a verbal ping pong game.

"Well, if you two are finished with your stupid antics, can we continue?"

Wolfstar and Cherryfall stopped their insult-spree and turned to face the snowy medicine cat.

"Hahaha, got a bit carried away…" Cherryfall mewed embarrassedly.

Snowfeather simply smiled in response, her whiskers twitching. "No problem. You're funny and besides, I'm used to your so called 'fights.'"

Wolfstar rolled his amber eyes and Snowfeather had unfortunately caught the movement.

"Ah yes, Wolfstar. Come to my den, I have to help you fix those torn pads of yours." She had a slight glint in her blue-violet eyes.

"U-u-um… Okay?" Wolfstar felt shudders down his spine.

Cherrfall tilted her head. Why was Wolfstar acting… scared?

"Well then. See you later, Cherryfall." Snowfeather twitched her tail as she made Wolfstar go in front of her.

**[A.N] Sorry, a short chapter. But please, this time, leave a review. I might as well do shout – outs, I guess. See you next time! And remember, I need 5 reviews before my next update which will probably be a long time from now? Anywho, see ya. **


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